Washing-machine.



No. 868,172. PATENTED OCT. 15, 1907. A. ERLER.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18,1906.

UNITED s'rirns AUGUST ERLER, OF CARROLL, IOWA.

WASHIN G-MAGHIN E Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 15, 1907.

Applisacioa fie June 18,1906. Serial No- 322,637.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, AUGUST ERLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Carroll, in the county of Carroll and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Washing-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a washing machine of simple, durable and inexpensive construction in which the agitator is rotated in one direction during its downward movement and in a reversed direction during its upward movement and it is also moved from one side to the other of the tub during each up and down movement to thereby thoroughly rub the clothes being operated upon to prevent them from becoming raised up or entangled in the agitator and to move the clothes about within the tub so that the agitator will engage successively different portions of the clothes contained within the tub.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of agitator operating device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a part of a tub with my improved agitator operating device connected therewith. Fig. 2-shows a vertical, central, sectional view of a tub with my improved agitator operating device applied thereto. Fig. 3 shows a sectional view through the agitator shaft and a top View of a part of the plate through which said shaft operates, and Fig. 4 shows a detail view illustrating the swiveled joint in the agitator shaft.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate the Washing machine body which may be of any desirable size or shape.

Secured to the cover of the machine body is aplate 11 havinga circular opening 12 near one end with laterally projecting notches 13 at opposite sides of said opening. At the other end of the plate are the brackets 14 and 15 in which a shaft 16 is rotatably mounted. On one end of this shaft is a balance-wheel 17 provided with a handle 18 by which it may be rotated On the inner end of the shaft 16 is a crank arm 19 having on one end a comiter-balancing weight 20 and on its other end a crank pin 21. Pivotally connected with this crank pin is the agitator shaft 23 having formed on its central portion two spiral ribs 24. On the lower end of the shaft is an agitator 25 of common construction. The said shaft 23 is passed through the opening 12 of the plate 11 and the spiral ribs 24 pass through the notches 13. The cover of the tub is cut away from the plate 11 around the opening 12 in order to permit the shaft to tilt at various angles. The opening 12 is made slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft 23 and the notches 13 are alsoi slightly larger than the spiral ribs 24 so that the agitator shaft and the spiral ribs will not bind upon the plate 11 and may freely tilt at different angles relative to the plate. In the shaft 23 between the point where it is attached to the pin 21 and the ribs 24 is a swivel joint at 26 as clearly shown in Fig. 4, so that the lower portion of the shaft may rotate independent of the top.

In practical operation, the operator imparts a rotary motion to the balance-wheel l7 continuously in one direction. During each complete revolution of said balancewheel, the crank arm 19 makes a complete revolution and at one point extends straight downwardly and at another point straight upwardly. This will impart to the agitator shaft a complete up and down movement. It will also cause the agitator shaft to incline from a vertical line first, in a direction toward one side of a tub, as shown in Fig. 1, and then toward the other side. Furthermore the spiral ribs 24 will cause the agitator to make a complete revolution in one direction during its downward movement and a complete revolution in the opposite direction during its upward movement. The advantage of having the agitator move up and down is that it will alternately press upon the clothes contained in the tub and then be withdrawn from the clothes, so that the clothes may move about within the tub and be engaged at different places by the agitator during its up and down movement. The advantage of having the agitator move from side to side of the tub is that the clothes Will be moved by it from one side to the other of the tub, thus greatly facilitating the process of moving the clothes around in the tub so that all parts of them will be engaged by the agitator during the operation of the machine.

The advantage of having the agitator rotate first in one direction and then in a reversed direction is that it will turn the clothes around within the tub so that they will be rubbed between the agitator and the sides and bot tom of the tub and then when this movement is reversed they will untangle or unwind from the agitator so that when the agitator is elevated, it will not carry up the clothes with it.

The counter-balancing weight 20 is provided to ap proximately equal the weight of the agitator and its shaft to thereby avoid the jerking or uneven movement of the agitator that would be caused if said weight were not provided.

Having thus described my invention What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, therefor is 1. The combination with the cover of a washing machine having an opening therein provided with lateral slots or extensions. of an agitator shaft extended through said openingand provided with spiral ribs engag'iing said slots or extensions. and a crank shaft for reciprocating said agitator shaft, the opening in said cover and said lateral extensions being of suflicient size to permit lateral movement of said agitator shaft, whereby said ribs in engaging said slots will cause said crank shaft to impart a combined rotary and oscillatory movement to said agitator shaft.

2. The combination with the cover'of a washing machine having a tapered opening therein provided with lateral slots, of an agitator shaft extended through said opening and provided with spiral ribs engaging said slots, a crank shaft, :1 member connected thereto, and a swiveled connection between said member and said crank shaft, said 10 opening and lateral slots being of sufiicient size to permit lateral movement of said agitator shaft, whereby said ribs in engaging said lateral slots will cause said crank shaft to impart a combined oscillatory and rotating movement to said agitator shaft.

'Des Moines, Iowa, May 21, 1906.

AUGUST ERLER.

Witnesses WM. LANGEXFELD, E. J. Bnonnmcn. 

